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Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Introducing Author A.M. Bostwick

I am so excited to be a part of
this lovely blog! Middle Grade literature includes some of the earliest stories
that drew me into books as a child, and inspired my love of writing. I’m
looking forward to celebrating it here on Smack Dab in the Middle with all of
these other amazing authors! I’d like to use my first post to introduce myself.

September for me always marks a
new beginning. Perhaps it goes back to those late summer, early fall days with
the start of school. Fresh sharp pencils, crisp clean paper and breaking the
spines on new books. Each year, I try to mark out my map for the next 12 months
of writing. Whether I’m editing, querying or writing, there never seems to be
enough time in a day. And the months that follow are never as neat as I’ve
outlined them on paper. Life as an author tends to have a lot of plot twists!

Later this year, I hope to
continue to writing in my Middle Grade series, Ace the Cat. Ace is a
mystery-solving feline. The books are told from his point of view – all on four
legs. In my debut of The Great Cat Nap with Cornerstone Press (University of
Wisconsin) in 2013, Ace investigates a cat-napping. The novel went on to earn
the Wisconsin Council for Writers Tofte-Wright Children’s Literature Award in
2014.

I followed up in The Clawed
Monet with Torque Press in 2016. Ace is sent on a new case to solve the mystery
of a destroyed painting at the local art museum.

In my third Ace the Cat novel,
I have a rough outline yet no clear direction of where it’s going to end. I’m
typically a chronic plotter – not a pantser, as they say. I prefer to at least
see where my headlights are going in the dark, but I must admit, this novel
isn’t cooperating!

I also have one Young Adult
novel in print, Break the Spell, which arrived on shelves in 2015. I continue
to write Young Adult as well as Middle Grade. I’m constantly inspired by other
authors, such as the ones on this blog, who have pursed their art for so many
years and continue to break boundaries and push the limits in literature. I’ve
met so many other great writers, aspiring and published, as well as incredible
teachers, librarians, young readers and parents. It’s an ever-changing world in
publishing, and I’m always thrilled to be a part of the web that connects us
via the written word.

Besides being a writer and
bookworm, I am a cat and nature lover. I live in the Northwoods of Wisconsin
where I adore the changing of every season. I also am a firm believer that
chocolate helps me write more proficiently. Luckily, I like to walk in the woods
no matter the weather.